Compatible switches, doorbells, locks, and cameras

@bronco9588 Why do you think this about Lutron? Lutron literately invented the dimmer. Why do you think I company with such storied history is creating switching that do not follow current wiring standards?

If you ask me (and many others here) Lutron is by far the best lighting solution. Why? Well Picos for one. Plus instant on, never fault reliability, awesome keypads (Radio RA2), add in shade line....Picos lol.

@ogiewon I feel much better about your test. I am a mechanical engineer, but have wired houses and pannels before. I am willing to say I am wrong, but was unable to find any information on the topic after 10 minutes of googling. Are you able to dim fans, dim lights, and switch outlets? I think I need to spend tonight reading the pdf from @pat.richards

@TechMedX I can always be convinced I am wrong with the right technical information. I agree that the Pico remotes are pretty impressive. What do you know of the differences between GE Enbrighten and Honeywell Jesco switches? They look very close.

I'll just add another plus one for Lutron and add it may be worth another look (not an engineer or a programmer, just a pharmacist with the home automation bug). The home we bought has no neutral (if I'd been hooked on automation then maybe I would have thought to look for a neutral when I bought the place :thinking:), so when I started with home automation I had to spend some time figuring out how to make it work. I ended up compaing several different lighting options (z-wave in wall dimmers, wireless in-wall dimmers, Aeotec nanos in the junction box (which are simply a PITA frankly)) before settling on Lutron. I've been using HE for about 2 years now with a Lutron pro bridge and the performance has always been rock solid. I've still got one or 2 non-Lutron dimmers, and those will still fail to automate properly once or twice a week (and are on the short list to go soon).

I've got a Kwikset 910 and found it to be somewhat temperamental. I've been browsing the forums to see if I can find a better solution, and it looks like at least someone can bring up some sort of issue with all of the locks. We were on vacation several months ago and the lock was giving our sitter a fit (would only sporadically disarm HSM, would only sporadically arm HSM when locked again). Best I could figure from remote troubleshooting was the lock was disappearing off the mesh randomly (and with some frequency). I've put a range extender next to it and it 'seems' to be more stable, but we'll see when we need a sitter again. That being said, when we're home it works reliably.

I've got one of GE's outdoor rated smart switches (Amazon) controlling my pool equipment, haven't had any issues with it.

While I'm still building it out a bit, my system has been reliable and really hands off (unless I'm playing around with Rule Machine to add a new rule and break something):

Lutron caseta dimmers to handle ceiling lights
Phillips Hue lighting for various motion lighting effects, ambient lighting, and notifications
Ring Doorbell (integrated via Alexa with HE as a virtual switch)
Ecobee thermostats
GE in-wall z-wave outlets (to act as repeaters)
2 Aeotec nano dimmers (soon to be replaced by Lutron dimmers)
Recessed Aeotec multisensors (to handle motion-activated lighting)
Konnected alarm boards to integrate old wired security system into HE
'Dumb' wired interconnect smoke alarms integrated via dry contact relay

To comment on your first statement about your previous home security system, we had a contract through a local company and I had bought the Lyric automation controller with the express intent of using it as a home automation controller. I do not like having many different apps to control my automations. After using it for a few years, I found it to be extremely limited in the automations it could do, and frankly Honeywell seems extremely resistant to exposing Total Connect and their Lyric panels to third party integrations. Plus, the monitoring fees were getting stupid, and the 'service' calls cost an arm and a leg for a $10-$20 sensor that I could repair myself, except that because the panel was wireless I didn't have the credentialing to add in the sensor. Funny how the 'remote' function never seemed to work when they could send somebody out for a service fee. I paid to break the contract, installed Konnected boards, and pay about $10/month for monitoring and get the same service I was getting for about 1/10th the cost. And I get management through ONE interface.

1 Like

AC Ceiling fans (traditional ones, not the newer, fancy, high-end DC fans) can be controlled using the Caseta Fan Controller (PD-FSQN.) Do not try using a normal lighting dimmer with an inductive load, like a ceiling or bathroom exhaust fan.

If you have in-wall-switch-controlled traditional wall outlets, you would need to be very careful about what is plugged into the controlled outlet if you were to replace a standard on/off in-wall switch with any Dimmer (Lutron or otherwise.) Plugging in a vacuum cleaner, or any power tool, would be bad. Thus, I would only replace such an in-wall switch with a smart switch (non-dimmer), like the Caseta PD-5ANS or PD-6ANS which require a neutral wire. These use an internal a relay that switches the 120VAC to the load when turned on. Thus, they can safely be used with most loads, as long as the load does not exceed the current rating of the switch.

1 Like

Not much, but other here most likely do. They probably come from the same factory in China.

I gave up on Z-wave switches with ST. I went to Lutron and have only peeked back. I use Z-wave/Zigbee for other stuff, but not lighting. I got Radio RA because of Hybrid-Keypads and I'm not a fan of the look of Caseta wall switches (sorry all just my eyes, yes even the Picos I still think should have a 1 button option, but Lutron hasn't gotten back me on that product improvement yet)

I'm 1 floor away from selling all my old Z-wave Plus (Leviton) switches/dimmers. I hang on to them thinking I may install them again. Then someone has an issue where the breaker needs to be tripped to force a switch back "on-line" and I have flash backs of why I removed them.

Correct - Jasco is the OEM for GE and Honeywell's switches, dimmers, and fan controllers.

https://byjasco.com/brands/

1 Like

Just thought I would also sing the praise of Lutron. I have switched out all of my Z-Wave switches, dimmers, and fan controls over to Lutron and have never experienced a single issue (if using the cheaper dimmer make sure the LEDs are compatible). With the Z-Wave devices I experienced unreliably throughout the years. Also, the amount of things you can integrate the Caseta pro hub with is truly awesome. Finally, who doesn't just love those little pico remotes, they are the best wireless buttons out there.

You all have been very helpful. If going caseta I would use the following???:

  1. PD-6ANS for on/off 6 amp loads with neutral
  2. PD-5WS-DV for on/off 5 amp loads without neutral
  3. PD-5NE for dimable 5 amp loads with neutral
  4. PD-6WCL for dimable 6 amp loads without neutral
    Did I get that nomenclature right?

I don't think I will have a fan compatible with PD-FSQN and I don't need a wall plug.

This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.